Apartment in Paris

Charming living room

I've been wanting to tell you all about this place!

Last September we spent five nights in Paris and on this trip we decided to try renting an apartment instead of a hotel. The pros and cons are fairly obvious; space and cost vs. onsite facilities, concierge and room service. We loved the extra space and the fun that comes with acting as if you live in a city. The small kitchen and residential locale make you want to run out and buy baguettes by the dozen. It was very reasonable at 125 euro/night, a bargain compared with nearby hotels.

There are so many horror stories about vacation rentals; the place didn't look like the picture, the owner was obnoxious or even worse the whole thing was a scam, given all of this I was nervous right until we were inside the door. Up until then I had trusted the owner with my deposit, but at that moment I realize he had trusted us with his home.

What a charming place, tastefully styled in cream it had obviously not been decorated with renting in mind. So many of the places we looked at online suffered from the same bland Ikea inspired look, cheap and cheerful all the way. This was quite different, and much more what I wanted for a few days in Paris, charming vintage dishes in the cupboards, space to spread out, lots of guidebooks, a phone we could use for local calls and even a much needed washing machine!

View from the window.

Located in the northern Marais the apartment was very close to the Marche des Enfant Rouges one of the oldest open markets in Paris with organic vegetable and great prepared food stalls. This is a fashionable area with high end cafes and pastry shops, but it's outside of the main tourist throngs. Depending on how much time you have this may not be the best location for a first visit to Paris, but for those who have visited before or who have time to enjoy the neighborhood this is a wonderful place to be. We walked and walked and loved having several Metro stops nearby. It was easy to take the metro and the train out to Charles du Gaulle.

If you're interested check out the details on vrbo.com, the British owner is very pleasant and the place is highly recommended. He went to great lengths to make sure we were comfortable and even offered to let us use the computer in his own apartment downstairs, telling us where to find the keys to let ourselves in! We'll certainly be staying here again, next time we'll try to make it for a week and really settle in.